Paper foldina machine-



(No Model.) I 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. H. STONEMETZ.

PAPER FOLDING MACHINE,

No. 472,317; Patented Apr. 5, 1892.

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JOHN H. STONEMETZ, OF MILLBURY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TC THE STONEMETZPRINTERS MACHINERY COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

PAPER-FOLDING MACHINE.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN H. STONEMETZ, a citizen of the United States,residing at Millbury,in the county of Worcester and State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement inPaper-Folding Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The aim of this invention is to produce a compact paper-folding machineby which a six or eight page paper can be quickly and accurately folded.

To this end the invention consists of the device described and claimedin this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the complete machine. Fig. 2is a plan of the rollers between which the sheet is first tucked. Fig. 3is a section on line a: no of Fig. 2, looking to the right. Fig. 4 is arear elevation showing the driving gearing, and Figs. 5, 6, and '7 arediagrammatic views illustrating the way in which the paper is folded.

In detail, 1 represents the frame suitably formed tosupportthemechanism.Theframe is carried up in the center of the machine, and bolted acrossthe same is the guide-plate 2. A series of endless tapes 3 3 are mountedupon suitable pulleys in the usual manner, and these tapes act to carrythe sheets onto the machine over the guide-plate 2. The sheets are fedonto these tapes 3 3 by any suitable means-as from a feed-table or fromthe delivery mechanism of a printing-press-and the tapes are driven byany of the well-known mechanisms. The tapes on the left-hand side of themachine are carried over supplemental loose pulleys so as to clearthe-tucker-blade 27.

Mounted to reciprocate on the frame is the serrated knife 13. This knifeis fitted in a suitable reciprocating bearing, which works on planedways on the side of the frame, as indicated in Fig. 1. The knife isgiven a reciprocating movement by means of link 14 and crank 15, whichis fastened on the shaft 100, which latter is journaled in the frame.This shaft 100 has mounted thereon the gear 104, which is driven bypinion 103, which latter is mounted on shaft 102, and on the outside endof this shaft 102 is fastened the gear 30 and over the folding-rollers28 29.

or driving pulley 101. Mounted in the frame under the guide-plate 2 arethe folding-rollers 18, 19, and 20, and these rollers are geared so asto run together, and the roller 20 is movable to and from the roller 18.The roller 19 is driven from the gear 104; by the pinion 105, bevelgears 106 and 107, upright shaft 108, mounted in bearings 109, and bevelgears 110 and 111, which latter is fastened on the shaft of the roller19. This gearing is designed so that the peripheral speed of the rolls18 and 20 is less than the speed of the knife 13, when the crank is atthe middle of its throw, forapurpose hereinafter described. The shaft 4of the roller 20 is held at each end by bell-crank levers 5 5, which arepivoted to the frame by the bolts 6 6. To the other ends of thebell-crank levers are fastened the springs 7 7. These springsarefastenedto eyes 8 8, and the latter pass through lugs on the frame and areadjusted by means of nuts 9 9. By this means it will be seen that theroll 20 is held tightly against the roll 18, but that the same may bemoved away from the roll 18. Thus the knife 13 can pass between theserolls byforcing the same open but that the rolls will tightly bite thesheet as soon as the knife passes beyond the same. Of course the gearsconnecting rolls 18 and 20 are of such a design that as the knife 13passes between the said rolls the gears will not be moved far enoughapart to be thrown out of mesh.

A suitable tucker-blade 21 is carried by the arms 22, mounted on a shaft23, journaled in suitable bearings on the frame, and the shaft 23 isactuated by means of any of the wellknown tucker-blade-operatingmechanisms. This tucker-blade is adapted to tuck the sheets between thefolding rollers 18 19. Running around the roll 19 are the endless tapes25, which carry the sheets over the top of the folding-rollers 26 26.These folding- .rollers 26 26 are geared to run together, and

a suitable tucker-27 starts the sheets between these rollers. From thefolding-rollers 26 26 the sheets are carried under the tucker-blade Thetucker-blade 30 is carried by the. arms 31, and the blade is operatedfrom any of the wellknown tucker-blade-operati11g mechanisms, The sheetsdrop from the folding-rollers 28 29 into a suitable receiving-box 32.The operation of these folding-rollers and their tucker mechanism is sowell understood that the same will not be further described; but it maybe noted that instead of the two pairs of rollers shown any number ofpairs could be used and arranged as desired, so as to give the sheet anydesired number of folds.

A suitable paste box 33 is adj ustably mounted on the bracket 34, sothat a line of paste will be deposited on the sheet at the pointindicated as the same is carried onto the machine by the tapes 3 3. Thepaste-roll may be driven from the sheet-feeding mechanism, as shown, ifso desired.

The operation of the machine will now be described. A sheet, which maybe either a six-page, as indicated in full lines, Fig. 5, or aneight-page, as indicated by dotted lines, is fed onto the machine and aline of paste deposited at the point indicated. The sheet is thencarried by the knife 13 down between the rolls 18 and 20; but as soon asthe knife 13 clears the rolls 18 and 20 the rolls will tightly bite thesheet. The knife 13 at this point (see Fig. 6) is traveling faster thanthe peripheries of the rolls 18 20, and as the sheet is firmly held bythe rolls 18 20 the knife 13 will break through the same. The two halveswill now be carried farther down by the rolls 18 and 20 and when inproperposition the tucker 21 will start the double sheet thus formedbetween the rolls l8 and 19 and will thus give the same the next fold.From these rolls the sheet is carried by the tapes 25 to the foldingmechanism before described, and is here given the further desired numberof folds and deposited in the box 32. The action is just the same withasix or eight page paper. In one instance a small folding-strip isformed, and in the other the fourth leaf of an eight-page paper, as isreadily understood from the diagrams. Thus it is seen that a machine isprovided that will paste, out, and fold either a six or eight page paperin a very accurate and rapid manner.

The details of construction herein shown may be greatly varied by askilled mechanic Without departing from the scope of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A paper-folding machine consisting of the two folding-rollers, aknife mounted to reciprocate back and forth between said rollers andadapted on the downstroke to draw a sheet of paper between said rollers,gearing between said knife and rollers arranged so that the knife willbe reciprocated at an accelerated speed relatively to the surface speedof the rollers, whereby the sheet is started between said rollers and isalso severed on the line carried by the knife, and means for carryingoff said sheet before the knife comes back between said rollers,substantially as described.

2. A paper-folding machine consisting of the folding-rollers 18, 19, and20, the reciprocating knife 13 working between the rollers 18 and 20,gearing between said knife and rollers arranged so that the knife willbe reeiprocated at an accelerated speed relatively to the surface speedof the rollers, and the tucker 21, adapted to start the sheets betweenthe rollers 18and l9,substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JOHN II. STONEMETZ.

Witnesses:

LOUIS W. SOUTHGATE, R. IT. SOUTHGATE.

